NORMAN BLAKE
Live At McCabe's (Takoma)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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This famous album, long out of print, represents several kinds of firsts. It was Blake's first live recording, and it documents his first appearance as a solo artist on the west coast, and it was his first appearance ever on the legendary McCabe's Guitar Shop stage in Santa Monica, California. It's also, so far as I can tell, the first album whose reissue is openly acknowledged to come about as the result of an e-mail campaign, waged by the inhabitants of the Flatpick-L mailing list. As the album came up repeatedly on "best of" and "desert island" lists, the clamor for the reissue grew until the Takoma catalog fell into the hands of Fantasy Records. With an identified target for their campaign, wave after wave of e-mail was aimed at Fantasy. To their credit, they listened, and now nobody has to head for that desert island without this disc.

If you're a fan of flatpicking, you should own it even if you don't have a trip in mind. Norman live is a special thing in itself, and there's about as much Norman Blake solo flatpicking here as you'll find anywhere. Blake is more than capable of tossing off the mind numbingly astonishing hot lick, but he doesn't insist on doing it all the time. He always seems to play just what's needed, just where it's needed, and just when.

In addition to his guitar mastery, Norman picks up the fiddle for some duets with his former wife and musical partner Nancy, whose instrument here is cello. She also backs him on a guitar track or two, but there's plenty of room for Norman with only his voice, guitar and deeply appreciative audience. Count me as part of that deeply appreciative audience, and feel free to join in.

Track List:

Nine Pound Hammer * Sweet Heaven When I Die * Border Widow * "G" Medley: Green Leaf Fancy/Fields Of November/Fort Smith * Dry Grass On The High Fields * John Hardy * Arkansas Traveler * Medley: Bully Of The Town /Bonaparte's Retreat/Richland Avenue Rag * Harvey's Reel

© 1999 - Shaun Dale